Analysis of "The World & I 17.12"

Stephen Grambow

The Struggle to Maintain Culture

In a passage from The World & I 17.12, James Emery argues that the Hmong community in the United States is losing their identity due to younger generations assimilating to American culture. The three thousand year old Hmong communities from Laos needed very few laws and restrictions in their native villages. Family was a cornerstone to their communities and parents and elders were revered by the youth. In 1960-1975 the C.I.A used the Hmong for the Secret War in Laos against the North Vietnamese. Once the U.S. pulled out from Vietnam the Hmong were slaughtered and exiled from Laos and fled to Thailand to refugee camps to be resettled elsewhere. From 1975-1988 over 100,000 Hmong resettled in the U.S.

The Cultures between the Hmong and America had major differences with family structure, which made it hard to raise children under two contrasting cultures. While the Hmong tries to maintain their culture, they encourage highly populated Hmong communities to teach Hmong as a language like McLane High School in Fresno. Even though the class was offered only 6% of the Hmong teenage population enrolled in the course.  Preserving the Hmong language is essential to the preservation of their culture, but with few of the younger generation making an effort towards learning their culture it is a dismal outlook. Culture practices like  “Bridal Abductions” have been stopped, but others like Hmong Funerals continue despite the cost of the ceremony. James Emery with his vast use of statistics and first person quotes makes the source credible and informative. The piece is a relatively natural piece, but sides with the elders of the lack of effert to preserve culture for the Hmong people.

Three annotated Bibliography Entries

Kaufman, Marc. "American Odyssey." Smithsonian 2004: 85-91. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 12 Jan. 2012 .

Author Marc Kaufman anaylzes the success and struggles of Hmong immigrants in the United States. He talks about he flight from Laos after the United States left Vietnam and then follows Mee Moua a successful Hmong immigrant. He also mentions the struggle of most Hmong to combined the Hmong and American Culture. Marc’s article in the Washington Post gives a good insight into Hmong assimilation into the U.S

Weiner, Tim. "Gen. Vang Paos Last War." New York Times Magazine May 11 2008: 48-53. National Newspapers Core; ProQuest Research Library. Web. 5 Jan. 2012 .

Tim Weiner goes into detail in an article from the New York Times Magazine about a controversial trial of General Vang Pao. He explains the C.I.A’s involvement with Pao during the 1960s called the Secret War. Now the U.S. government set up a sting operation against Pao and now label him a terrorist for trying to by weapons for Hmong in Lao. Weiner gets specific details about the Hmong during the Secret War and quotes from the former C.I.A. operatives involved with it.

Johnson, Dirk. "Slaughter in the Woods." Newsweek Dec 06 2004: 28-. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 4 Jan. 2012 .

Dirk Johnson describes a situation in northern Wisconsin where a Hmong Hunter, Chai Vang, kills six hunter. Vang states that six the hunters shot first after some ethnic slurs and comments. Vang has been convicted and jailed for these murders. Johnson gives insight to this topic through quotes from governor Jim Doyle and the Leader of the Hmong community.

Analysis of "Gen. Vang Pao's Last War"

Stephen Grambow

Mr. Zarwell

Global Studies Seminar

15 January 2012

The Betrayed General

In the New York Times Magazine article, “Gen. Vang Pao’s Last War,” Tim Weiner explores why General Vang Pao, once a U.S. ally, is considered a terrorist. Weiner takes a look into the how Vang Pao and the Hmong got involved with the United States government.  He explains the C.I.A.’s involvement in the Secret War in the 1960s, where they supported the Hmong community and Gen. Vang Pao to fight the North Vietnamese in Laos.  Once Weiner describes the situation with the Hmong in Laos he dives into the Sting Operation on Gen. Vang Pao, Harrison Jack, and Lo Cha Thao. He goes into the specifics of what type of weapons the sting operation was going to sell to these men and then the arrest of these men under the charge for violation of the Neutrality Laws and attempt to overthrow the current government in Laos. By using personal statements from old C.I.A correspondence and interesting language, Tim Weiner leads the reader to believe that he is against these charges on Gen. Vang Pao.

Weiner uses quotes from former C.I.A. agents that worked with Gen. Vang Pao to show some hypocrisy with the U.S. government. When talking about the Secret War, Weiner interviews Dick Holm, a former C.I.A. agent, who states that the U.S., “ failed to assume the moral responsibility that we owed to those who worked so closely with us during those tumultuous years” (51).  Using first person sources like Dick Holm, plants the seed of doubt in the reader of why these charges against Pao even exists.  Weiner also uses the language that suggests that he is against the charges as well.  When he talks about the case he uses phrases like, “prosecutors painted him as a Laotian bin Laden” (48). The word “painted”  leaves the reader with ideas if the prosecutors are elaborating Vangs involvement or are taking it too far. Tim Weiner sides with Gen. Vang Pao with his constant referencing toward the regrets of former C.I.A agents and his slanted language.

 Weiner, Tim. "Gen. Vang Paos Last War." New York Times Magazine May 11 2008: 48-53. National Newspapers Core; ProQuest Research Library. Web. 5 Jan. 2012 .